TY - JOUR
T1 - Fast foods and ethical consumer value
T2 - a focus on McDonald's and KFC
AU - Schröder, Monika J.A.
AU - McEachern, Morven G.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2005/4/1
Y1 - 2005/4/1
N2 - Purpose - Aims to investigate the effect of communicating corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to young consumers in the UK on their fast-food purchasing with reference to McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Design/methodology/approach - Focus groups were conducted to clarify themes and inform a questionnaire on fast-food purchasing behaviours and motives. Attitude statements were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis. Findings - Most respondents (82 per cent) regularly purchased fast food from one of the companies; purchases were mostly impulsive (57 per cent) or routine (26 per cent), suggesting relatively low-level involvement in each case. While there was scepticism regarding the CSR activity being promoted, expectations about socially responsible behaviour by the companies were nevertheless high. Four factors were isolated, together explaining 52 per cent of the variance in fast-food purchasing behaviour. They were brand value, nutritional value, ethical value and food quality. Research limitations/implications - The research was conducted with students, and while these represent a key-target market, any further research should target a more diverse public. Practical implications - There are important implications for global fast-food companies in terms of protecting and developing their brand value; they need to respond to the wider food-related debates in society, in particular, those concerning healthy eating and food ethics. They also need to ensure that their business practices are fully consistent with the values expressed in their CSR initiatives. Originality/value - The special value of the paper lies in its joining together of current perspectives on CSR and consumer value in the UK food industry as it explores both through the perceptions of young consumers of fast food.
AB - Purpose - Aims to investigate the effect of communicating corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to young consumers in the UK on their fast-food purchasing with reference to McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Design/methodology/approach - Focus groups were conducted to clarify themes and inform a questionnaire on fast-food purchasing behaviours and motives. Attitude statements were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis. Findings - Most respondents (82 per cent) regularly purchased fast food from one of the companies; purchases were mostly impulsive (57 per cent) or routine (26 per cent), suggesting relatively low-level involvement in each case. While there was scepticism regarding the CSR activity being promoted, expectations about socially responsible behaviour by the companies were nevertheless high. Four factors were isolated, together explaining 52 per cent of the variance in fast-food purchasing behaviour. They were brand value, nutritional value, ethical value and food quality. Research limitations/implications - The research was conducted with students, and while these represent a key-target market, any further research should target a more diverse public. Practical implications - There are important implications for global fast-food companies in terms of protecting and developing their brand value; they need to respond to the wider food-related debates in society, in particular, those concerning healthy eating and food ethics. They also need to ensure that their business practices are fully consistent with the values expressed in their CSR initiatives. Originality/value - The special value of the paper lies in its joining together of current perspectives on CSR and consumer value in the UK food industry as it explores both through the perceptions of young consumers of fast food.
KW - Business ethics
KW - Consumer behaviour
KW - Fast foods
KW - United Kingdom
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=18044363131&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/00070700510589503
DO - 10.1108/00070700510589503
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:18044363131
VL - 107
SP - 212
EP - 224
JO - British Food Journal
JF - British Food Journal
SN - 0007-070X
IS - 4
ER -